A Beginner's Guide to Water Polo: Core Knowledge

by Joseph Carr

INTRODUCTION

The following will be an account of the core
skill sets and knowledge central to the game of water polo. This will be
divided into 4 sections; a look at the rules of the game, the physical
requirements including eggbeater and sprints, ball skills and finally
basic tactical information for both general play and man up. By the end
of this guide you should know enough about the basic elements of the
game to get started. Specific drills and tips will be included where
appropriate. Assimilating knowledge about a sport by reading about it is
always going to be a struggle. DON'T PANIC! I will try to make any
explanations as simple as possible but really this is more of an aid to
assist you in training. Hopefully it might make sense of parts of the
game you have previously been confused about and then again when we go
on in training to cover new ground. There might be more detail there you
can follow so dip in and out of the material as you understanding grows
I hope you find this useful.

THE RULES EXPLAINED

You can be wrapped up for a whole game for swearing or showing dissent.

Key Point The referee is there to progress the game.

The philosophy of gaining a decision is to earn it by showing the referee you are trying to play the ball.

To earn a minor foul, let go of the ball and push into your defender. You then have a free pass.

Major fouls are gained largely through holding, pulling back and pushing under water

There are lots of little tit-bit rules but you'll pick these up in no time!

This section will go on to outline the key rules
you need to know to make sense of the game. However first there will a
brief explanation on the philosophy of refereeing and a more detailed
explanation of the minor and major foul.

As you should know water polo consists of two
teams, seven a side, with the object of swimming/passing/wrestling/
shooting the ball down the pool and into the opposition goals. So what
are you allowed to do and what are you not? How does the game fit
together? In order to get a sense of this you can not think of water
polo as one would think about 'football'. There is no "well technically
it should have been.." or endless video replay of a tackle to determine
whether there was contact The referee is the only person in the room
with the authority to determine what has happened, whatever he says is
the decision it's as simple as that.

The referee is there primarily to progress the
game. A good referees decisions will reward good play and good players
and punish bad play. He is not there to agonise over the details of who
was holding who and when. When you understand this basic principle all
other rules suddenly make sense, as do previously inexplicable
decisions.

Let me give you an example before we go on to
discuss the minor and major foul. You may often see players looking or
reacting in order to try and get a decision outside of the zone of play
(i.e. at the other end of the pool to the ball). Perhaps they're being
held, perhaps they've been kicked off. It is true that within the rules
you can not kick or hold another player however only a very poor referee
will give these kind of decisions. It is not his job to protect you
from the game! If you are being held then you have to show that you are
being held, if you have been kicked off then it is your own fault for
being off balance and having the wrong body position. If you are not
doing anything, not making an offensive play, then you should never ever
ever get the decision.

This aspect of water polo may seem unfair and
clearly is widely misconceived however it is fair. Remember so much of
the physicality occurs underwater. By pulling round you and then kicking
off, the player is clearly bigger/stronger/fitter/ more technically
proficient than you are. You could not stop him doing that. By giving
you the decision the referee would be rewarding your ineptitude and
punishing his bit of skill. In water polo if you are not getting the
decisions from the referee then you have to keep going! You earn your
decisions! For example, if you are being aggressively held in a game
then drive towards goal. By swimming and making a positive move you are
showing the referee good play and by impeding you the defence are
demonstrating bad play. You will then get the decision. If the attacker
is grabbing your trunks then get your bum out of the water and show the
referee You will then get the decision.

Though obviously there are bad referees and there
are bad decisions, good players should view the referee as nothing more
than a prop. We can see these principles at play in how one earns a
'minor' and major' foul.

MINOR FOUL

A minor foul is just a decision made by the referee to allow the attacker a free pass

Signalled by one whistle and an arm pointing
towards the attacking teams opposition goal, the defender must then drop
back 1 meter and may only block vertically (no leaning forward!}. If
the defender impedes the foul after the decision has been given, they
will be sent out for a major foul After 3 seconds or after the attacker
plays' the ball i.e. moves with it, judged by the referee, the defender
may again press the attacker. If a minor foul is conceded outside of the
5 meter line then the attacker may take a first time shot, which it is
why it is important to block. If the attacker has a double movement or
is within the 5 meter line then the foul is reversed.

Dont be confused by the above. Achieving a foul
is very simple. Protect the ball by positioning the full width of your
shoulders between yourself and the defender and then release the ball
and push into the defender as they try and steal it from you. The
referee is always trying to progress the play. If you have the ball in
your hand then he will expect you to use it i.e. pass rt, kick out for a
shot or take on and turn your defender. To gain the foul you must show
the referee that the defender is making it impossible for you to play
the ball. Thus let go of the ball and manipulate the defender into
pushing you under water.

You will never get a foul if you have hold of the
ball. You will never get a foul if you hold the ball and then when out
of position you let go and ask the referee to help you out. You must be
in control and protect the ball at all times.

MAJOR FOUL

A major foul is for more serious offences that
warrant further advantage than a simple free throw. These will be
primanly gained through the centre forward' position, swimming in from
the arc' and from stupidity. They entail the offending player being
excluded from the game for 20 seconds of play. They have to leave the
area of play by swimming into a designated area behind the goal and in
front of their own bench.

Really REALLY bad fouls (or stupidity) result in
either a wrapping up (exclusion for the entire game) or brutality
(similar to a red card in football).

The offences that entail a major foul are
unfortunately numerous however 90% of the major fouls given in a match
will be according to the following rule:

WP 21.8 To hold, sink or pull back an opponent
who is not holding the ball. ‘Holding’ is lifting, carrying or touching
the ball, but does not include dribbling the ball.

This essentially means you can't grab someone,
pull someone back or push them under water when they are not in
possession of the ball. If they swim off then let them go, If you are in
the center forward position then you have to jump round the attacker,
rather than over them, in order to challenge for the ball.

To gain a major foul is not easy, It they are a
good defender then you will have to expend a lot of energy not just
getting into position to earn the foul (i.e. goal side) but also in
showing the referee that he is in fact holding you. This part of the
game is contentious at every standard and will be for you as well. The
best advice I can give is when defending, make the effort to show your
hands and when attacking always make the effort to keep going, even if
it's impossible.

OTHER BASIC RULES

Possession changes every 30 seconds. Measured by a shot clock.

When you have 3 exclusions against you, you can no longer play in the game.

When substituting you have to get in and out in the designated
area by your bench. Only after a goal may you jump in or climb out on
the side.

If the attacker has a major foul given against them, while in the 5 meter area and through on goal, it is a penalty.

Penalties have to be taken in one motion.

If the goalkeeper has ‘ball under' given against them, then it is a penalty.

PHYSICALITY AND SKILL

Key Point Practice Practice Practice

The importance of eggbeater. Both vertically and horizontally.

Sprinting and how to be inefficient

This section will cover the two basic physical
aspects unique to water polo: Eggbeater and head up sprints. Each of
these skills are picked up over time and practice. After a period of
time the physical parts of water polo will seem second nature to you
however everyone picks things up a their own speed. The skills will
come, the important thing is while in the development stage to try and
pick up as many good habits as you can.

EGGBEATER

This is one of the basic skills of water polo, a
specific way of treading water. It allows you to keep level in the water
by maintaining a solid base. The technique is simply alternately
kicking your legs as you tread water, in a circular fashion, while
sitting in an upright position and sculling with your hands The way this
is illustrated is think about sitting in a chair. A lot of the skill
involved with this exercise is to do with flexibility, the higher and
wider your legs go, the more water you can push under you and the easier
it is to perform.

In water polo we use this skill constantly,
kicking up to catch a ball or kicking against or round a player. However
the dynamic nature of our sport means that we are never static.
Therefore it is very important to adapt your eggbeater to the demands of
the game such as moving forward blocking, moving laterally, wrestling,
jumping backwoods for an interception, etc. There are two techniques
which will help you master the varying demands.

KICK UP

Perform eggbeater as normal. Begin to kick faster
and raise yourself out of the water. When you have reached your plateau
give a big scissor kick or breast stroke kick to jump out an extra few
inches. You can then reach with a hand as if you are trying to catch or
intercept a ball.

You can practice this by yourself next time you go swimming (as long as you don't mind looking a bit silly).

HORIZONTAL EGGBEATER

The further underneath your legs are the easier it
is to push you away from goal. When facing off a player you must get
your bum as high as possible horizontally in the water so that your legs
can extend as much force as possible in the relevant direction.

Furthermore, just as in the vertical eggbeater
kick, you can use the same technique to kick forward as if jumping round
a defender.

This exercise can also be practiced next time you
go swimming by simply doing lengths of the pool in the horizontal
position, your bump up, doing egg beater all the way up the pool.
Occasionally kicking forward.

SPRINTING

Unlike competitive swimming water polo relies
exclusively on power to push yourself through the water. It is far less
important to train your muscles to be efficient in the water, rather
train them to be better at coping with inefficiency. Acceleration is the
name of the game!

Keeping your head up is vitally important,
obviously as it is the only way you can know what is going on in the
game. Your head should only come down to aid you in a chase and even
then normally just for a few strokes before looking again.

When training for water polo it is more
efficient to train for shorter distances, faster, rather than longer and
more efficient. A great way to practice it is to get yourself a water
polo ball and simulate 4 sets of 16 length sprints, like a match. Moving
the ball forward with the wave in between your arms.

THE ART OF PASSING AND SHOOTING

Key Point. If it works do it! Relax and think about the process.

Some helpful shooting tips.

If you ever took the time to think about all of
the different technical details that make up a world class shot you
would probably go insane! Everyone has their own method and technique
and the rule is, if it works then do it! However whether building a shot
from scratch or whether tinkering with your technique for experiments
sake it helps to know a few key principles;

Hold the ball above your head in the shooting position as if you are carrying a tray.

The better/higher you kick out. the better your shot will be. A
lot of this is about timing. You need to time your kick so lhat you're
shooting at the top of your stroke.

The power comes from your core and the rotation of your trunk
NOT your arm and shoulder. Similar to a javelin thrower or baseball
player.

The accuracy of shot is helped by pointing your wrist at the
end of the motion You should point with your index finger where you want
the ball to end up.

As Bruce Lee said 'be like water'. If you tense up while
shooting your shot will lose power and accuracy. Rather think of your arm
as a whip, keep it relaxed and flexible.

Practice different kinds of shots and shots under pressure. It
is easy to look good hitting the top comers with no goal keeper and no
defenders however only top players can do it through blocks with someone
grabbing their trunks.

The dummy and timing of the shot is as important as the
technique itself. A good keeper will save even world class shots if he
is in position. You have to fool him and weaken him with a convincing
dummy to have a decent chance.

Finally when training and building your shot do not be afraid
to experiment In a match it doesn't matter how it goes in however in
training you should be working to commit to muscle memory the best
technique possible. Don't think about the end result, only think about
the technique. It doesn't matter if it missed, was saved or clanged in
off the crossbar, what you are trying to learn is the process.

TACTICS AND FORMATIONS EXPLAINED

Key Point These are the formations we play water polo with.

The Arc Formation

The Man up and Man Down Formation

All water polo is played around 2 key formations:
'The Arc', and the 'Man Up' 4-2. The arc is the formation for general
play and the 4-2 is the formation for man up and man down. Though there
are hundreds of variations, all of them start with these two basic
ideas. Even when exhausted and disorientated, if you can manage to get
into position, you should be okay.

There are 6 attackers and 6 defenders who mark
each man for man There is a player in the centre on two meters called
the 'pit player, a player on each wing also on two meters and a player
opposite each of the posts on the goal but this time 5 meters out.
Finally there is a player on the top of the arc. on 7 meters, who
dictates the play,

The centre position is the most important as that
is the primary focus of the attack They will wrestle with the pit
defender and try to get exclusions or good shots away from close range.
Each of the post players (labeled 2 and 4) are called drivers as they
are responsible for forcing the attack. Number 3 position is the last
person back so must be more careful about committing to an offensive
swim. The wings are stationed deep and are used to provide a ball round a
defence into the pit or in quick offensive screens with the drivers.

When attacking the players must face towards
goal, horizontal in the water, ready to drive, often touching or pushing
against the defenders.

When defending the players must face the attacks,
also horizontal in the water, keeping an eye on the ball and movement
round the arc. They must mark the attacker by putting both hands on
their chest and trying to push them out. or jump round when they are
passed the ball. If the attacker drives then the defender must quickly
bring their knees up to change direction and follow the attacker into
the middle.

MAN UP

Upon a successful pass to the pit or drive into a
dangerous position the defence will be put under pressure to foul you.
After committing an exclusion, the offending player will be sent out for
20 seconds. This gives the attack a crucial advantage. A good rate of
return of man-ups is scoring around 70-80%.

There are various ways of achieving this however the basic formation is as follows;

As you can see, the attacking formation is 4
along the back on 2 meters, one each post and then one on each wing and
then 2 players on 5 meters opposite each post.

In defence the formation is obviously different
with only 3 along the back and two working in between the back line and
the 5 meter line. Though this will become more apparent in training, the
defence moves across according to which side the ball is moved towards.
The defensive player in the middle covers each of the post attackers
depending on where the ball is. If you imagine all of the defenders are
tied by a bit of string to the ball, then as the ball goes round the
defenders lean towards it and are dragged to the proper defensive
positions.

The attack works the ball round in an effort to find and create weaknesses to exploit.

The man up and man down system is probably
the most complicated thing you will learn in water polo. However the
premise is that through this formation, or some derivative, you limit
the attacker's advantage by always being ahead of the ball and always
covering the shot.

SUMMATION

In this guide there is an explanation for
each of the three basic parts of the game of water polo, the rules, the
physical dynamic, passing and shooting and finally the formations. I
hope that it was both simple enough to follow and has enough depth to
get you along the right track.